A Christmas Carol
by Caraoke-Cherry
Summary: Advent Calendar fic for my beloved Suwamoto. HG/RL, all fluffy, all kitschy, full of clichés and just perfect for this unfriendly weather.  Rated M for later chapters.
1. December 1st

This is gonna be some kind of Advent Calendar Fic. I'll try to add one chapter every day until December 25th. They won't be very long chapters and go mostly un-beta-ed but anyway, I hope you like it.

Btw: I don't own the characters, settings, names and so on, nor do I make any money with this.

It's dedicated to my beloved beta Suwamoto.

Recommended music: Juli - Wir beide

* * *

December 1st

Hermione sighed and turned off the TV. Since she moved in with Ginny and Sirius for college she had changed some things at Grimmauld Place. She missed living with her parents and so she took some muggle things with her, for example her television. She loved sitting on the couch with Ginny and a cup of hot chocolate in the evenings, watching old movies. Ginny, who grew up with a muggle-addicted father, knew what a TV was, but never used one before the girls where invited by Sirius to live with him. Now they often spent the rainy British evenings with old Katherine Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe movies.

Afterwards Ginny took care of the cups and Hermione watched the late-night-news. Ginny came back into the living room and sat next to the depressed-looking Hermione.

"What is it, Mione? You look like Ron's dog ate Crookshanks.", Ginny said wearyly, knowing this condition of her friend all too well.

"TV's saying that there'll be rain tomorrow.", Hermione grunted. Ginny rolled her eyes. She never quite understood how Muggles were able to predict the weather without having precognitive abilities, but she wasn't planning on asking Hermione again. She once tried to explain it to her, but as words like "humidity" and "air pressure" reached her brain she turned it off and waited till she finished her monologue.

"So what's the news?", she asked again, shrugging her shoulders, "It has been raining for weeks now so why should the weather change? We'll survive it, as long as Sirius keeps on buying milk and chocolate." she said smilingly, lounging herself back into the huge couch. She pulled over the blanket she and Hermione were sharing.

"Yes, I know... But it'll be Christmas soon.", Hermione muttered, "I hoped there would be snow on Christmas." She sighed again and pulled the blanket closer, pulling it from Ginny in the same move. The younger girl laughed and and pulled on the blanket herself.

The two girls kept on fighting over the huge blanket. They were giggling and grinning and laughing until Hermione lost it.

"Okay, Weasley.", she said, pulling her eyebrow up. Behind her back she grabbed a pillow. She smirked as Ginny looked at her with a worried expression. "This is war!"

Before Ginny knew what happened Hermione pulled the pillow from behind her back and hit her friends shoulder. Ginny let out a surprised squeak and a fierce look appeared on her face.

"You bet, Granger!", Ginny spat and grabbed a pillow herself. With a terrifying roar she thrust the pillow at the brown-haired girl and made her bushy brown curls look even more devastated.

All the laughing an squealing must have been pretty loud because eventually the doors to the living room opened and a terrified Sirius Black entered, looking as if he was expecting to face a lion in his house. He laughed, turned around to close the doors and turned back just in time to see a pillow aiming to hit his head. He ducked away quickly and looked at the two fighting girls.

The blanket they were fighting over earlier was now on the huge thick carpet. The pillows from the couch and the armchair were spread all over the room and the two young scholars were running around the room. When they both stepped from the seats they were hiding behind and restarted fighting Sirius swallowed hard. The sight of the two, pillow-fighting, in scanty nightgowns and feathers flying around them encouraged his fantasy and he raised his eyebrow.

Since the two girls had not even noticed him then he harrumphed and told them smilingly "Hey girls... I know I'm irresistible. But there's no reason for fighting, there's enough Sirius for everyone!" First the girls looked at him in disbelieve, then back at each other. They saw the understanding in each others eyes and turned back towards the animagus in boxers and bathrobe. They smiled lightly and started walking in his direction.

Before he could react he was hit by two pillows and wrestled to the ground by his two house mates. He fell into the comfy carpet and pulled the girls, still using the pillows to attack his head and shoulders, down with him. He didn't have a pillow so he use the only weapons he had left, his hands and the knowledge of the ticklish bellies of the girls.

Since both, Hermione and Ginny, were very sensitive he managed to make sure they unhanded they pillows and gave up fighting, but he didn't stop until the girls were helplessly on the ground, begging him to stop, not able to move an inch.

He accioed some cushions and lay down between the panting girls on the pillowy carpet. They both cuddled up against him an quickly fell asleep. He sighed and pulled the reason for the girls' fight over the three of them. Living with those girls really wasn't easy, but it had its advantages.


	2. December 2nd

Hey loves! Happy 2nd December! As usual I don't own anything except for the storyline and the characters are only borrowed.

Enjoy!

Recommended music: Faith no more - Easy like sunday morning

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December 2nd

It rained all through the night. But none of the friends took notice of it. The next morning was cold and foggy, the sun stood low behind the thick clouds, not letting a single ray shine through. The grounds behind the house were cold and damp, and if you were to walk outside you would be in danger of not finding the way back.

Sirius woke up to the mixture of the scent of coffee, Ginny's whole body lying on his and Hermione's unruly curls tickling his face and neck. He left his eyes closed and smirked. He pushed Ginny to the side. Then he took Hermione, who has moved away from him, by the waist and pulled her closer, burying his face in the whiskey-colored, silky curls. He inhaled her lovely flowery fragrance and sighed, the two girls in his arms both sleeping merrily. He was one lucky bastard.

When the Golden Trio returned to school after war they were in the same grade as Ginny was. Over time Hermione and Ginny became friends and after a while they were like inseparable. Hermione was the big sister Ginny always needed, having only her mother and Fleur, whom she didn't like, as company alongside her six brothers. And Ginny was the female counterpole to Hermione's best friends.

Once they had finished school they decided to study together in London's oldest wizardry university, Diavamageus. Ginny chose to study magical medicine and potions , wanting to become a medi-witch at Saint Mungos. Hermione studied Transfiguration and Magical History, and as if that wasn't enough work she studied potions and DADA as minor subjects.

They started looking for an affordable flat around London and Sirius invited them to stay until they found another place to stay. Since the semester had just started it took them some time to find something. Well, to find something that was affordable, somehow close to the city and didn't look like a rat-cage. After some time they found a flat and though it was small and a little battered they took Ron, Harry and Sirius with them to show it to the boys. In comparison to the luxury of the refurbished Black Mansion the flat must have looked like an animal cage to Sirius. It wasn't even before he saw the whole flat that he offered them to stay at No.12 Grimmauld Place. Her reassured them that they were not disturbing him but that he would probably miss miss their company a lot.

Hermione and Ginny didn't take much time to think it through. The house-elf Kreacher was old and no longer able to do all the work alone and Sirius was a disastrous housekeeper. Since he never had to learn them, he didn't know a single cleaning spell, nor was he able to cook. So Ginny an d Hermione decided to stay with Sirius and they grew very close friends rather quickly. The hose was very roomy so no one was bothered by the other, not even if Sirius took home his bunnies every weekend. The girls didn't mind. Sirius was like a brother to them – Well – maybe a stepbrother that wants to shag you, but no one to start a relationship with.

Sirius smirked again. He loved having his two lovely housemates around him, especially when they were half-naked and lying on him. He surely would have preferred them all naked but he wouldn't complain. "Take what you get and give nothing back.", wasn't that what the weird muggle-pirate said?

He looked at the clock and felt sorry for having to wake the girls soon. They had to get up or they'd be late for their potions class. And they'd never forgive him if he made them be late to Snape's lesson.

Unfortunately Hermione went out with Severus for some time after the war. That was before the semester started, before she found out that Severus Snape has always dreamed of teaching at a university. And as soon as his talent as a spy was no longer needed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he quit there and started as potions professor at Diavamageus. She broke up with him when she found out and now he used every tiny mistake she made to punish her. Being late was worth a five-page homework in three days. And since Sirius didn't want Hermione to come home ragingly , screaming down the house, he softly wrapped his arm around her and kissed her hair lightly.

"Mione, love, I know it's hard but we have to break up now." he stroke her hair out of her face and smiled at her.

She shifted towards him and wrapped her arms around him unconsciously.

"..."

"Aah, sorry love, I didn't get that." Sirius murmured into her ear.

"Don't want to..." she purred, curling against his bare chest like a cat, "rather stay in bed with you."

A wide grin spread across his face. "Me too, kitten, but I don't know if your loverboy Sevvi could deal with your absence."

He shouldn't have said that. Within less than a second she sat up, wide awake, her eyes wide with shock and staring down at Sirius and Ginny. "Ginevra Weasley! Get your hands off that man's arse and get going! You were to wake me this morning." she screamed hysterically. She slapped the smiling Sirius' shoulder and ran off to her room screaming something about greasy black bats and stupid drooling dogs.

Sirius lay back and did what he was best at.

He smirked.

* * *

Hermione stormed through the doors of the auditory just in time with Professor Snape opening the teachers entrance. She didn't notice it, since it was right next to the door she came trough and sighed in relieve. She stopped to catch her breath before heading to her seat and so she didn't notice that Severus stood right behind her until he spoke.

"If you're planning on spending the whole class standing here, maybe you'd have the kindness to let me pass, Miss Granger", a silky voice whispered quite close to her ear. Hermione stiffened and slowly turned around.

"I'm sorry Sev... Professor Snape" she said towards her feet.

"Move", he spat at her.

Without looking up she quickly stepped aside and sighed lightly as he moved past her. She was over him, she told herself. She was the one who ended their relationship and she really was over him. Really... She blushed and moved to the table at which she practiced with her two partners. She sank onto her chair and put her head to the table for a second.

"I really need someone new, Ginger, or I'll never get over that stupid old bat. I wish I was able to walk around and shag every catnip that crosses my way like Sirius does."

"Well maybe you should just go and shag Sirius himself, kitten."

The two girls burst into laughter and that -of course- drew the potions master's attention to them instantly.

"Maybe the two ladies would like to tell us what they think is so funny about the danger of permanently losing your eyebrows with an inaccurate eye color potion.", a silky voice darted from across the room.

Their friend Cormac shifted on his seat. "If you aren't planning on teaching us contraceptive potions today, Professor, you'd rather not ask.", he said, making Hermione blush to the bone. Some of the students knew about the past relationship between their professor and their fellow student. They looked at Hermione in disbelieve and burst into laughter.

Snape slowly turned away from the class and the red-faced Hermione. Seeing her move on easily still made him ache, even though he knew it was best for her.

He wasn't good enough for her, he has never been.

He just had to cherish the time he had with her and thank Merlin for every minute.

* * *

Ginny and Hermione just couldn't stop laughing. They giggled all the way through class, they laughed while riding the tube and once they were home they fell onto the sofa and laughed until their bellies hurt. They kept thinking about the stupid face Cormac, who didn't know about the relationship, pulled. And also the fact that Snape looked like he was going to drink Cormac's blood, probably thinking that Cormac was Hermione's new lover, didn't help them cool down.

"Gods, Ginger, I don't know why you turned him down. He's just hilarious." Cormac and Ginny have had a few dates but Ginny thought they'd be better off as friends. Now they were some kind of a "New Golden Trio". But they were more interested in having fun, studying and partying then in saving the world. Ron and Harry weren't. They haven't been able to stop their neurotic need to help people and became aurors.

Ginny walked into the kitchen to get them some hot chocolate. The two of them used the evening for watching another black and white movie, sighing, crying and beefing about why there are no more men like the heroes of those times.

Knowing about the aches they would have tomorrow if they didn't sleep in proper beds tonight, they hugged each other until they had troubles breathing and went into their rooms.

Hermione lay there for a while, her eyes peeking through the slit between the curtains, and thought about what Ginny and Cormac said today. She didn't really have any feelings left for that weird old bat. She just needed someone to hold her in the winter. Wondering who might be her hero Hermione fantasized about finding him, not even noticing that, at one point, her fantasy became a dream and she fell asleep.

* * *

So that's it. New stuff tomorrow.

PS: You can bridge the waiting time with writing a comment.


	3. December 3rd

-yawning-

So this is chapter three loves. I've been asleep all day, since I'm having a cold, and wrote this chapter in the middle of the night. Right now it's 10 to 1 am in good ol' Germany and I think my head might just fall onto the keyboard and I'll fall asleep, so don't you wonder if the next chapter is all "", alright?

No just kidding, I'm sorry this is so short but I promise: Tomorrow there'll be some Remus!

Sorry for writing such a lame chapter.

I'm going to bed now.

CC.

Almost forgot: Recomended music: The Donnas - new kid in school

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December 3rd

"Have a nice weekend and please don't forget that you'll have a new DADA teacher next week.", the short and clumsy man said briefly before running out of the auditory, leaving all his students confused, talking and unwilling to leave the auditory without a proper explanation. Even though no one really liked Professor Pennyweather they also disliked being left with an announcement like this. They slowly stood up and looked at each other in disbelieve. Some people murmured things like "Did he really just say that?", "He's kidding, isn't he?" and some euphoric voices called out "I never thought he'd give us Christmas presents!"

Hermione looked at Ron and Harry who, since they were to become aurors, where in the same DADA-course as she was and started laughing. Professor Pennyweather was a very unfriendly and even chauvinist, so not even Hermione, who had always granted respect to all teachers, liked him. The murmurs and canticles slowly died away as the students left the auditory for lunch. Hermione quickly stuffed her papers and quills into her bag and left the auditory with Harry and Ron.

"Mione! Hello! Kitten, I'm over here!" she heard Ginny call from across the hall and she waved at her. Turning to Ron and Harry she said goodbye and then went to her red-haired friend who was waiting at the cafeteria entrance. She had to snap her fingers in front of her face to get her attention off the leaving Harry Potter and back to walking.

"Gods, Ginger! If you want him so badly, why don't you tell him? I don't think he'll turn you down after what happened before the war." Hermione knew about the short liaison Ginny and Harry had before the war. She knew that the two of them were still in love with each other and she knew that she'd go crazy if the two continued sneaking around each other like cats.

They sat down at a table quite close to the teacher's and in an instant there were loads of dishes on the table. Cormac came to sit with them and put way too much food on his plate. He started eating, somehow reminding Hermione of the pig-like way Ron ate back in Hogwarts. She looked away and started eating herself.

"Mid dyou hear", Cormac said, his mouth filled with baked potatoes, "dat Profefor Pennywefer if retiring?"

Hermione swallowed hard and forced herself to smile icily at Cormac.

"Yes, love, I am – Well, I was – in his DADA course. Did you know that usually a child learns that it's indecent to talk with one's mouth full.", Hermione snapped back at him.

She wasn't exactly happy about a change of teachers in the middle of the semester. That would make all her previous work worthless since the new Prof would surely make own marks, give them other tasks and teach in a different way than Pennyweather did. She didn't like him, but she was used to the way he taught and knew what made him give her extra points. She'd have to figure that out from the new Professor as soon as possible. By the way...

"Do you happen to know who will take his place? I mean... That was a rather spontaneous decision, wasn't it? How are they gonna replace him?" Hermione asked, not noticing that her voice had taken an uncomfortable high pitch so half of the teacher's table was listening, more or less voluntarily, to her panicking over the unknown new teacher.

"Well, no.. I don't..." Ginny started but was cut short by Hermione's worried squealing.

"Do you remember the weird ones they gave us as DADA teachers in Hogwarts? If it was hard to find people who were willing and qualified to do the job back then, think about how difficult it will be today."

"Cool down Hermione! The position of a DADA teacher is no longer dangerous since Voldemort died." 'since my beloved Harry killed him', Ginny's inner voice added.

"But half of the qualified people died during the war!" Hermione shrieked, no longer able to eat her lunch and as she pushed her plate away it disappeared as fast as it came.

Ginny was also finished and the two girls waited until Cormac had finished, too and left the cafeteria with a still very upset Hermione.

On the door they almost ran into a short person who's hair turned into a vivid red at once. The little boy looked up at the accusingly and suddenly smiled. He threw his arms around Hermione's leg and made her stumble. She looked down at the boy again and then kneed to take him in her arms.

"Teddy! What are you doing here?", she asked worriedly.

The boy, who was only two and a half years old but looked like four, smiled and replied fluently "I'm here with my daddy.", and before Hermione was able to respond he ran away into the cafeteria and Hermione was pulled to her feet by Cormac.

"Wasn't that Ted Lupin?", he asked and pulled Hermione out of the hall into the rainy December air.


End file.
